release

Just this afternoon, in a move that could forever change the course of this nation’s history, Duncan Hunter announced that he will be taking the first step on a long road - his quest to win the White House in 2008.

Although it is tempting to pledge our fealty now to this candidate this afternoon, getting in before the inevitable hordes who will triumphantly chant his name in the streets, there are a few critical questions that we must have answered first.

Questions like, “Who?”

Here’s what we know about Duncan Hunter:

He is a Republican, and U.S. Congressman from California. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee and would serve another two years in that capacity if the GOP keeps its hold on the House.

This much I know from watching a few seconds on Fox News; as it happens, this is more about Hunter than 99.99% of the voting population know about him today. (That number may be low.)

He is also announcing his candidacy mere days before a predicted nationwide repudiation of the GOP at the ballot box. His sense of political timing, therefore, is a wee bit suspect.

So what’s all this about, then? Does Duncan Hunter really think that he can win his party’s nomination for President?

Although Congressman Hunter has had up to now what we will charitably call a “low profile” in the presidential horse race, some of the other factors make his run remotely plausible. First, he is the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, responsible for oversight of the Department of Defense and defense-related programs of the Department of Energy. This gives him a more than plausible claim to expertise in the national security arena. Second, he is from California, and a Republican candidate who can deliver California in the Electoral College is all but unbeatable. Third, he appears to be free of major scandals and would presumably be smart enough not to run if there were any skeletons in the closet. Fourth, his only real competition for the nomination are Sen. John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. If either of these makes a misstep, it could be a wide-open race.

But… all those factors suggest that Duncan Hunter is not really running for President. He’s running for Vice President. He’d be a good fit for either McCain or Giuliani, both of whom would run on a platform of strong national security. He’d put California at least nominally in play - a double threat if New Yorker Giuliani gets the nod. If he’s free of scandal, that will make him a very tempting selection in the summer of ‘08 no matter who gets the Republican nod.

Ladies and gentlemen, behold Duncan Hunter, seeker of the 2008 nomination for (Vice) President.